Neuer back in team training six days before German World Cup start

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer returned to team training at last as Germany started their final preparations for the World Cup at their tournament base camp.

Sidelined for three weeks with a left calf injury, Neuer joined the team for their only open training session in front of 3,000 fans on Monday evening, a few hours after arriving at their camp from Chicago.

He seemed fully fit as he went through exercises with the other two keepers Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nübel as well as training keeper Jonas Urbig.

The World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada starts on Thursday. Germany's first match is on Sunday against Curaçao, with Ivory Coast and Ecuador their other group stage opponents.

The 2014 World Cup winner Neuer retired from the team in 2024. He has now been recalled but missed the final tune-up matches against Finland on May 31 in Mainz and the US team on Saturday in Chicago.

Coach Julian Nagelsmann has made the 40-year-old Bayern Munich player his first choice for the World Cup, praising his "aura" and saying that he "has experienced everything" in his long career.

Nagelsmann has said he is not concerned that Neuer will have no build-up match before the tournament and sees the match against rank outsiders as the ideal start for Neuer.

"If I had a goalkeeper who was 22-years-old I would have bigger problems with the situation. But Manuel has had so many matches and so many moments in training. He doesn't need many tests to get into his rhythm," Nagelsmann said.

Nagelsmann had all players on board for the 45-minute session, including Assan Ouédraogo who also arrived on Monday as a late replacement for injured Lennart Karl.